Finally, after over twenty years, at episode one thousand and forty two: One Piece has begun.
Usopp above, what an episode. The first portion is more Wano, but of course it is (as I discussed last week) the sort of Wano I enjoy: lots of big screen-shaking punches and explosive attacks and so forth between characters I am invested in and/or great animation. I want Yamato to live up to the title and legacy of Oden! I want Kaido to be defeated by the child he has forsaken! I want to see a triceratops turn into a helicopter! I want to see Macho Mech Franky Savage deliver a Saturday Morning super robot finisher! This is the bombast I signed up for.
But the back half with Robin… it's too much. I cried.
It's not the first time I've shed tears for Nico Robin and the trials she has gone through, and I'm sure it won't be the last. You might question whether I'm being biased in saying this is one of the best episodes of the entire Wano arc because it focuses so much on the emotional beats of Robin's story, but you would be wrong. Nico Robin's life story, and the way it resonates with the struggles she and the crew have gone through to get to this point, is peak One Piece.
And it's ultimately this kind of gut-wrenching catharsis that I want not just for Robin but for the entire Straw Hat crew. Show me how these current events weave into the journey of the characters that I love. As much as I love the new cast members Oda continues to introduce, it's the moments where the show reflects on the existing cast (who I already am deeply invested in) that really make this work sing for me.
Plus fully grown and self-actualized Robin doing the Dereshishi laugh? I'd give this six stars if I could.
The plot is excellent in the romance camp. Everything that happens is to get Eui-joon and Gunwoo together, and it works pretty well.― You can read The Dangerous Convenience Store in English two ways. The first is to read it on the manhwa site/app Manta, which has all seventy-five chapters and four bonus stories available. The second is to read Seven Seas' print (or ebook) edition, which, as of this ...
Some older mysteries inch closer to resolution as the true nature of the Abyss slowly comes into view, and long-posed questions start to be answered.― Sometimes, being a fan of Akihito Tsukushi's acclaimed Made in Abyss series means acclimating to suffering. Like many Western devotees, I was introduced to this bizarre, squishy, disturbing world via the 2017 first season of Kinema Citrus' fantastic a...
Anime premieres in 2024― Adult Swim's YouTube channel began streaming a first look video for the Rick and Morty: The Anime series on Saturday. The show will premiere on Adult Swim and Max in 2024, and will also run on Adult Swim Canada. The anime will be an original work, with adapted themes and events from the main Rick and Morty animated series. Takashi Sano (Tower of God) is writing and directing...
As Slam Dunk reached its final stretch, I can see why this series is considered the sports classic that it is today.― This is the largest batch of Slam Dunk episodes that I've reviewed thus far. Originally, I wanted to review the show in more even seasons, but given its overall pacing and release, it wasn't easy to find a moment where it felt right to stop and start again. However, as we approached ...
2nd part opens in Japanese theaters on June 7― The staff for the four-part Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture (originally titled Gode Geass: Z of the Recapture, or Dakkan no Zetto) anime project revealed a trailer and a visual on Saturday for the second part in the project. The below video previews MIYAVI's opening theme song "Running In My Head." The anime's first part premiered in Japan on Friday. ...
James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY.― Yatagarasu Gets Violent! James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu, in which Wakamiya plays his hand to find out the truth behind his older brother's scheming to obtain the throne. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY; Hunter x Hunter manga is on its ...
Making a sequel to Code Geass is a daunting task. But with its fantastic main character and a story that doesn't undercut what came before, Rozé of the Recapture is on the right track.― Making a sequel to Code Geass—especially one set close to the end of the series—is a daunting task. Any story that involves an ongoing war massively undercuts both the finale of the original anime and the sacrifices ...
The Switch sequel console is finally happening! The details are scarce, but you can find out more in this week's column. Also: an interview with El Shaddai's Sawaki Takeyasu, Microsoft layoffs, and more.― Welcome back, folks! What a wild week this has been for the gaming industry. We'll go further into it, but jeez. This past week also saw the disappearance of Capcom's Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. ...
The Code Geass creator discusses his new project with Web3 company Azuki, Enter the Garden, and his hope that this new path could help the medium evolve.― Los Angeles-based Web3 anime-styled brand Azuki and advertising conglomerate Dentsu debuted the first nine-minute episode of their joint anime endeavor, Enter the Garden, on April 30. The episode, which has already racked up a quarter of a million...